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Israeli IRS Investigating Chareidi Chasenahs


hwMas Hachnasa, Israel’s Internal Revenue Service is using chareidi weddings to go after possible tax evaders, including florists, bands, photographers and others who earn a living working at chasenahs.

According to a Kikar Shabbat report, the IRS over recent months has approached chareidi families that married off children asking them to report on the bands and others hired for the event and to show tax receipts for payment for their services, aware many work off the books and accept cash, without issuing receipts are required by law.

Some families received letters instructing them to provide details about the catering, photography, music, and singers from the weddings, seeking to monitor who is paying tax and who is illegally working off the books.

The report cites the families are stressed over the letter for they do not know what to do – how they may or must react, fearing it is prohibited to report others to the tax authorities but equally fearful regarding what may happen to them as a result of their unwillingness to respond.

The report does not state if similar letters are being sent to others outside the chareidi community by the tax authority.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)



16 Responses

  1. “Mas Hachnasa” simply means Income Tax.

    The word you’re looking for is “Reshut HaMisim” – the Tax Authority.

    I wonder why YWN has non-Hebrew speakers handle its Israel Desk.

  2. Technically #1 is right. However, everyone I know, when going to the tax office, says, “I’m going to Mas Hachnasa.”

  3. haifagirl: Of all people, I cannot believe my eyes that I am actually reading you defend a misuse of language on a technicality!

  4. I don’t think this should be portrayed as a Chareidi issue though. This happens all the time in America. It’s really just a matter of time untill the government catches up to speed with reality.

    In recent years, the IRS in America has finally caught up to many different forms and methods of tax evasion (from offshore accounts to paypal businesses.)

    The State of New Jersey has been stopping landscapers (while they are cutting grass!) for years asking them for documentation of sales tax collected and paid.

    Please don’t make this into a Secular vs Chareidi issue, as the country is doing what is in its legals rights to do so.

  5. “families are stressed over the letter for they do not know what to do – how they may or must react, fearing it is prohibited to report others to the tax authorities but equally fearful regarding what may happen to them as a result of their unwillingness to respond.”

    Well it should be simple from now on, pay the tax that you are supposed to. Cheating the government from tax receipts hurts the rest of society and all other law abiding people.

  6. # 4 there is a big difference between questioning someone about there own taxes and forcing someone to rat on someone else. it’s cruel and assur.

  7. It’s no different than the IRS now (after MANY years!)requiring the taxpayer to check a box indicating if he/she was required to issue a 1099 and if he/she did so.

    Not cruel and assur, just a slow change to a new law.

  8. Paying taxes is a part of doing business in every country. A country uses the tax revenue to pay for services that include transportation, security, medical and education. Those who avoid paying taxes are hurting themselves, their neighbors and families.

  9. “Those who avoid paying taxes are hurting themselves, their neighbors and families.”

    You might even go as far as to say that cheating on taxes is a form of geneiva from all people who benefit from it. If I don’t pay that $100 or $1000 I’m mechuyav to pay, then millions of other people are cheated out of something. Perhaps some will justify cheating taxes because it comes out to stealing less than a shaveh peruta from each person.

  10. the chilonim should pay the tax due from the chareidim just as the chareidim pay for the chilonim their tefilos. after all we always daven in plural to include all jews, i.e. selach lonu, hashiveinu, shema koleinu, etc. our tefilos actually give them life, parnasah and zechusim for everything else whereas their tax payments for us would only pay for the army, the sanitation dept., public servants, etc. tell me which is worth more?

  11. #11 Next time in Israel check out the shuls that are filled also in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod and not with charedim. There are many in Israel who daven and pay taxes and no one is asking the other to do it for them.

  12. There’s a big difference when it’s tax or slowly gearing toward communism where the government slowly takes all belonging to you(yes, we know all belongs to Hashem). Try working long hours and building a big business and then having the government taking most of it and your take home pay less than 48% and your having to tell your children you no longer can help them because you are forcefully helping others(not of your choice)!!!!!

  13. Stories are legion in Israel about tax inspectors who visit weddings and demand that the service providers show lawful invoices and (in some cases) licenses on the spot — and bust them if they fail to do so. However, to the best of my knowledge, one who hires, say, a wedding band cannot be forced to show an invoice, let alone to fink on the musicians. Only the band has to show that it operates lawfully.
    As for no. 11, there’s a huge population in Israel that davens *and* pays taxes. Are we owed a refund on the double taxation? On which part of our remittance are we owed, the monetary part or the davening part? And to which population group do I apply for it?

  14. 12 and 14 i am talking about the chilonim who don’t daven. if they would know how much our tefilos and limud torah does for them and the whole world they would kiss our feet besides pay our taxes. that is why explains rabbi aharon kotler z”l we mourn the death of rebbi akiva’s students even after so long. it is because their torah was lost from us and that is reason to mourn all these years.

  15. Chachem says: “Our tefilos actually give them life, parnasah and zechusim for everything else.” When I davened minha a few minutes ago, I directed these requests to Hashem, not to ourselves, and I forgot to ask the chilonim to kiss my feet apart from paying my taxes. Do I have to do the davening over?

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